A family visit to the beach turned into a rescue for a woman and three children on Saturday March 21 after they got cut off by a fast rising tide and needed the volunteer crew from RNLI Penlee to come to their rescue.

Just as the crew were settling down to watch an afternoon of Six Nations Rugby at around 2.30pm, they were called to launch the inshore lifeboat Paul Alexander from Newlyn.

In near perfect weather conditions, with Ben Keogh at the helm, and crew members Heath Robinson and Tom Matson, the lifeboat crossed Mount’s Bay to rescue the group, believed to be holidaymakers, who had been cut off by a fast rising tide at Hogus Rocks, just west of St Michael’s Mount.

Arriving on scene, they found that the casualties had already been rescued by the St Michael’s Mount passenger ferry, and two of the crew transferred to the ferry and gave first aid to the woman who then suffered a medical emergency.

All three children were very cold and shocked, and one was suffering from mild hypothermia. The family were all transported to Chapel Rock and carried ashore by the lifeboat crew and members of the Penzance Coastguard Cliff Rescue Team, who handed them to waiting paramedics.

Patch Harvey, RNLI coxswain at Penlee, said: "We would always advise anyone who is visiting the beach or coast to check on the tide times. On this occasion there was a successful outcome, but the end result could have been very different.

"I would like to thank the crew of the St Michael’s Mount ferry who went to the immediate assistance of this family and rescued them from the rocks. As always it was teamwork at its best."